Furniture-caster.



No. 636,148. Patented Oct. 3|, I899. B. P. KENYUN.

FURNITURE CASTER.

(Application filed Mar. 22, 1899.)

(No Model.)

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BERTRAND P. KENYON, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO THE MICHIGAN VAPOR STOVE COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

FURNlTURE-CASTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 636,148, dated October 31, 1899. Application filed March 22, 1899. Serial No. 710,024. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, BERTRAND P.-KENY0N, a citizen of the United States, residing at Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Furniture-Oasters and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in furniture-casters, and more particularly to such casters having a pintle-retaining socket provided with a longitudinally-slitted and reduced upper end and a pintle having a bulbous upper end adapted to pass through the socket and engage the reduced upper end thereof. In these structures as heretofore made the pintle engages the interior of the socket near the respective ends thereof and the lateral pressure of the upper end of the pintle comes directly upon the reduced upper end of the socket, which pressure tends to spread the upper end of the socket and even tually enlarges it, so that itno longer retains the pintle.

The object of my invention is to remedy this defect; and my device consists, essentially, in combining with a socket having a reduced and slotted upper end a caster having a pintle provided with an enlarged upper end adapted to pass through the socket and retain the pin tle therein, said pintle also having a bearing at the lower end to engage the interior of the socket at the lower end thereof and also having an enlargement intermediate its ends adapted to engage the interior of the socket immediately below the reduced and slotted portion thereof, forming a second bearing to prevent all lateral strains on the upper end of the socket, as hereinafter more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claim, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a caster embodying my invention, and Fig. 2 the same inserted in place for use and'with the socket and surrounding timber in vertical section.

Like letters refer to like parts in both of the figures.

A represents the tubular socket, having the longitudinally-slitted and reduced upperend B. The caster-pintle G is provided with the usual bulbous head D, engaged by the reduced upper end of the socket and retained thereby, and also with the usual flange to en gage the lower end of the socket and sustain the load, and also an enlargement above the flange to form a lower bearing engaging the interior of the socket at the lower end thereof, as shown.

E is an unyielding enlargement of the pintle, which engages the inner surface of the socket close to the lower ends of the longitudinal slits therein and forms a bearing for the pintle, whereby the lateral pressure comes upon the socket just below and close to the lower ends of the slots, and the upper end of the socket is wholly relieved from this strain, and, furthermore, the socket being at this part of the full diameter of the opening in the surrounding timber F and supported thereby any very heavy lateral pressure of the pintle thereon tends to press it outward into the wood, and this movement of the metal of the socket tends to cause the upper ends of the divided portions of the socket to press inward more firmly, and thus in no event can the lateral pressure of the pintle effect any relaxation of the pintle retaining hold of the upper end of the socket.

I am aware that in a caster having an unslotted tubular socket contracted at the top a groove has been formed in the pintle opposite this reduced upper end of the socket; also, that in a caster having an unyielding socket closed at the top a top and bottom bearing has been formed on the pintle, between which is inserted a yielding pintle-retainer. I do not claim such devices, as they differ materially from a caster having a socket with a reduced and slotted upper end and a pintle having an enlargement engaging the inner surface of the socket close below the slotted portion thereof, as in my device.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and wish to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination of a socket having a reduced and slotted upper end, a pintle having an enlarged upper end adapted to pass through said socket and retain the pintle lateral strains on the upper end of the socket, 16 therein, said pintle also having an enlargesubstantially as described.

ment atits lower end forminga bearing adapt- In testimony whereof I affix my signature ed to engage the interior of the socket at the in presence of two Witnesses. 5 lower end thereof, said pintle also having an- BERTRAND P KENYON other enlargement intermediate its ends and forming a second bearing adapted to engage \Vitnesses:

the interior of the socket, immediately below LUTHER V. MOULTON, the reduced portion thereof, and prevent any LEWIS E. FLANDERS. 

